Wryneck - at last !

Dungeness - wet and windy til mid-morning, clearing to sunshine, sw 5 - A breezy, damp start to the day found us in the seawatch hide where a steady westward passage of mostly Sandwich and a few Common Terns was underway along with plenty of Gannets, five Black Terns, a Fulmar, a distant Arctic Skua and a Whimbrel that flew along the beach. An adult Lesser and Great Black-backed Gull posed on the beach for size comparison.

                                Lesser and Greater Black-backed Gulls

  As the rain relented and the sun broke through we arrived on the bird reserve in time to see a Cattle Egret feeding amongst the cows on the fields by Boulderwall close to the road. On Burrowes three Greenshanks and two Common Sandpipers were the only waders of note and a Hobby flew over. A large, mixed passerine flock by Dennis`s hide comprised mostly Long-tailed, Great and Blue Tits, Chaffinches, Robin, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Willow Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler.

                                Greenshank from Firth hide

  On the way out we had a final check for the Wryneck from the access road as I`d only had the briefest of views and Raymond had dipped altogether over the past two days. Within ten minutes, in warm sunshine, the Wryneck perched out in the open atop the brambles twice for about 30 seconds each time. Not enough to get the camera into action but enough to gain good views of this elusive drift migrant, and a satisfying finish to the Birdwatching Break for our guest, during which time we rattled up 104 species.